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Florence Earle Coates
| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | death_date = April | death_place = Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | occupation = Poet Philanthropist}} Florence Van Leer Earle Nicholson Coates (July 1, 1850 - April 6, 1927) was an American poet and philanthropist, "whose carefully crafted, contemplative verse gained the respect of many of the leading literary figures of her day."Florence Van Leer Earle Nicholson Coates, Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Web, June 6, 2014. Life Coates was born Florence Van Leer Earle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Granddaughter of noted abolitionist and philanthropist Thomas Earle, and eldest daughter of Philadelphia lawyer George H. Earle, Sr. and Mrs. Frances ("Fanny") (Van Leer) Earle. She attended school in Lexington, Massachusetts sometime between 1864 and 1867 under the instruction of abolitionist and teacher Theodore Dwight Weld, who had "charge of Conversation, Composition, and English Literature,"The Massachusetts Teacher: A Journal of School and Home Education. September, 1864; Vol. IX No. 9: p. 353. and would further her education abroad at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in Paris (Rue de Varenne),The Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart) in Paris, France was a convent school for young girls run by nuns that fell to the French government as a result of the "religious orders" law of 1904 which involved the separation of church and state, and prohibited religious orders from teaching. The site of the former convent is now the Rodin Museum. and by studying music in Brussels under noted instructors of the day. She gained notoriety both at home and abroad for her works of poetry, nearly 300Bohm, Sonja N., comp. The Published Works of Florence Earle Coates (Magazines). 2009. Print. of which were published in literary magazines such as the Atlantic Monthly, Scribner's Magazine, The Literary Digest, Lippincott's, The Century Magazine, and Harper's. Literary and social critic Matthew Arnold both encouraged and inspired Mrs. Coates' writing of poetry. He was a guest at the Coates' Germantown home when his lecture tours brought him to Philadelphia. Coates and Arnold first met in New York—during Arnold's first visit and lecture tour of America—at the home of Andrew Carnegie, "where they formed a lasting friendship."Notable Women of Pennsylvania (1947), edited by Gertrude B. Biddle and Sarah D. Lowrie. The tour (which lasted from October 1883 to March 1884) brought Arnold to Philadelphia in December 1883, where he lectured at Association Hall on the topics of the "Doctrine of the Remnant" and on "Emerson.""Matthew Arnold on the Doctrine of the Remnant." Philadelphia Inquirer, 27 December 1883. His second visit and tour of America took place in 1886, and brought him to Philadelphia in early June where he was again hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Coates and spoke on the topic of "Foreign Education" at the University of Pennsylvania chapel."Reception to Matthew Arnold." Philadelphia Inquirer, 11 June 1886. Arnold wrote to Mrs. Coates in 1887Letter from Matthew Arnold to Florence Earle Coates dated 29 January 1887. and 1888Letter from Matthew Arnold to Florence Earle Coates dated 24 February 1888. from his home at Pains Hill Cottage in Cobham, Surrey, England describing his remembrance of and fondness for her "tulip-trees and maples." Rarely did Mrs. Coates write or publish prose work, but in April 1894 and again in December 1909, she dedicated her pen to remembrances of her mentor in issues of the Century and Lippincott's magazines respectively. The Coates' often spent their summer months in the Adirondacks, where they maintained "Camp Elsinore" — their summer camp by the Upper St. Regis Lake. It was there that they entertained, rested and escaped the humidity of Philadelphia summers. In the early 1900s, the Coates' seasonally opened their camp to Anna Roosevelt Cowles ("Bamie")—elder sister of Theodore Roosevelt. Among Mrs. Cowles' visitors during her stays at Elsinore was Alice Roosevelt, President Theodore Roosevelt's daughter.New York Times, 28 June, 19 & 26 July, and 30 August 1903. Mrs. Cowles' stays are also mentioned (along with a photograph) in Lilian Rixey's biographical book, Bamie: Theodore Roosevelt's Remarkable Sister. Many of Mrs. Coates' nature poems were inspired by the flora and fauna of the Adirondacks. Of her "spot in the mountains," Mrs. Coates sings: There's a cabin in the mountains, where the fare, dear, Is frugal as the cheer of Arden blest; But contentment sweet and fellowship are there, dear, And Love, that makes the feast he honors—best! Much of Mrs. Coates' later published work was written during the years spanning World War I and showcased her concern for such "profound and vital problems" as her voice joined the chorus of 'singers' in support of American involvement in the war—evidenced in her privately published pamphlet of war poetry, Pro Patria (1917). Mrs. Coates also penned several other works of fugitive verse, much of which is patriotic and war-related, describing the selfless sacrifices made by soldiers and citizens alike for the cause of freedom and liberty. Florence was a founder of the Contemporary Club of Philadelphia in 1886; one of 20 founders of the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of PennsylvaniaThe Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (SMDPA) in 1896 — herself being a 9th generation descendant of Pilgrim John Howland;John TILLEY (passenger) married Elizabeth CARVER; and had Elizabeth TILLEY, who married John HOWLAND (passenger); and had Desire HOWLAND, who married Capt John GORHAM; and had Lt. Col. John GORHAM, who married Mary OTIS; and had Stephen GORHAM, who married Elizabeth GARDNER; and had Susannah GORHAM, who married Daniel PADDACK; and had Deborah PADDACK, who married George HUSSEY; and had Uriel HUSSEY, who married Phebe FOLGER; and had Mary HUSSEY, who married THOMAS EARLE; and had George Hussey EARLE, Sr., who married Ellen Frances VAN LEER; and had Florence Van Leer EARLE"Register of Members" (Philadelphia: Society of Mayflower Descendants in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania) 1996, p. 57. — and twice president of the Browning Society of Philadelphia, from 1895 to 1903, and again from 1907 to 1908 She married William Nicholson, who died in 1877 after only 5 years of marriage. On January 7, 1879, she married Edward Hornor Coates at Christ Church in Philadelphia. Mr. Coates would eventually adopt Florence's daughter from her 1st marriage, Alice Earle Nicholson. Florence and Edward had a child together in 1881, but the baby — Josephine Wisner Coateslikely named after Josephine Wisner, great-great granddaughter of Henry Wisner—delegate of the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress and among signers of the original draft of the Declaration of Independence. Josephine Wisner's mother, Eleanor Bowne Hornor, was Florence Earle Coates' husband's second cousin. — died in infancy. Mr. Coates was president of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from 1890 to 1906. He died on 23 December 1921. \In 1923, Mrs. Coates presented The Edward H. Coates Memorial CollectionCover photo of The Edward H. Coates Memorial Collection booklet (1923). to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. The exhibition included 27 paintings and 3 pieces of sculpture, and was displayed from 4 November 1923 to 10 January 1924. She died at Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia on 6 April 1927. She is buried at the Church of the Redeemer churchyard in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania alongside her husband and her brother George Howard Earle, Jr. and many of his descendants, including his son, former Pennsylvania Governor, George Howard Earle III—Florence's nephew.The Lower Merion Historical Society website (see Coates, Florence Earle).Photos of Florence Earle Coates' headstone, et. al., at the Church of the Redeemer Cemetery. Writing In the March 1913 issue of Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, noted anthologist and poet, William Stanley Braithwaite (1878–1962), gives a detailed 9-page review of Mrs. Coates' poetry, relating how "she draws from the Olympian world figures that typify some motive or desire in human conduct, and in the modern world the praise of men and women, heroic in attainment or sacrifice; or laments events that effect social and ethical progress, showing how beneficently she has brought her art, without modifying in the least its abstract function as a creator of beauty and pleasure, into the service of profound and vital problems."[http://books.google.com/books?id=IMrUAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA296 A Foremost American Lyrist: An Appreciation by William Stanley Braithwaite] Recognition In 1915, Florence was unanimously elected poet laureate of Pennsylvania by the state's Federation of Women's Clubs.Walker, Robert H. "Coates, Florence Earle." Notable American Women:1607-1950. Cambridge, MA:Belknap Press of the Harvard Univ. Press, 1974:354. Many of her poems were set to music by composers such as Amy Cheney Beach, Clayton Johns, and Charles Gilbert Spross. Publications Poetry *''Memorial Ode''. Cambridge, MA: Riverside Press, 1898. *''Poems. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1898.Poems (1898)], Internet Archive. Web, June 6, 2014. *Mine and Thine. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1904. *Lyrics of Life. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1909. *The Unconquered Air, and other poems. Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1912. *''Poems. (2 volumes), Boston & New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1916. Volume I, Volume II *''Pro Patria''. Philadelphia: privately published, 1917. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:Florence Earle Coates, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, June 6, 2014. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *"Autumn" *"In War-Time" *Florence Earle Coates (1850-1927) at Sonnet Central. *Florence Earle Coates at PoemHunter (13 poems) *Florence Earle Coates at Poetry Nook (98 poems) *Florence Earle Coates poetry weblog ;Books *Florence Earle Coates at Amazon.com ;About * Biography of Mrs. Coates in the Fall 2009 edition of The Pennsylvania Mayflower Newsletter (pp. 6-7). *The FLORENCE EARLE COATES Project A website dedicated to documenting the life and works of poet Florence Earle Coates. * [http://www.amazon.com/review/R1FLL2YO605V5W/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm Women's Poetry of the First World War (1988) book review] :Florence Earle Coates on war. Category:American poets Category:Writers from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:People from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Category:American World War I poets Category:1850 births Category:1927 deaths Category:American people of English descent Category:20th-century poets Category:Poets Category:American women writers Category:20th-century women writers Category:English-language poets Category:Women poets Category:Poets Laureate of Pennsylvania